Letter or Postcard – Letter
Sender – Ralph Peterson
Recipient – Phyllis Peterson
Postmark Place – Red Bank, New Jersey
Postmark Date – 3 June 1943
Letter Date – 2 June 1943
Text:
Hello sweetheart,
How are you tonight, baby? I missed your letter yesterday but got one from you today and was I ever glad to get it. I was waiting for it all through mail call and when my name was called I yelled so loud that the mail clerk said I must have been waiting for it, and I sure was glad to get it. It was nice all day but last night we had one of the biggest storms that has been here for a long time. It sure was a Lulu. It blew, rained, and it hailed the hardest I have ever seen it hail. Some of the hailstones came through the tar paper on our barracks. Boy, it sure was a pip[?]. You said you was going to Ronald’s shower[?]. You know last summer he bet me the best drinks in town. I haven’t been home to collect from him so I guess you will have to straighten up that debt. You had better take ice cream or pop instead, though. I will be home to collect that pretty soon, though you can take part of it now and I will get the rest. The bet was that we would be married before the first of this year, and we was. That should prove that I was going to marry you, don’t it? But I was ready to marry you the first night I went out with you. I really loved you the first time I saw you, even if you did act kind of mean to me. But I loved you all the time. School is going good. In fact, everything is going good, only I am so damn far away from you. That is the only thing that bothers me. Gee, how I wish I was home. I think I will go post school. Then I will learn to type making me a regular old woman out of me, but then maybe I can get a good job when I come home. Wouldn’t that be swell? We could have a little house all by ourselves and a yard for Bonny girl to play in…also for her little blue-eyed brother, the one we are going to make when this is all over. I only hope it is soon. I am glad that you like that pin I got for you. It wasn’t much but reminded you I still think of you, and my picture will follow soon as quick as I get it finished. Say, who does Bonny look like anyway? I am sorry. I didn’t mean that. All of us boys look a lot alike. I am the only one who isn’t good looking so it is good that she has my brother’s looks. Uh-oh. The lights are going out in about two minutes, so for tonight all my love and kisses to my two sweethearts, from Daddy
PS – I love you a lot, honey. Please think of me always. Sweet dreams, baby. Night, now. Ralph
Notes: I am a bit stumped over the identity of the Ronald that Dad had a bet with. Not sure if he was family or a friend. Mom would have admitted that she was cool to Dad on their first date. I once asked her what she thought of Dad when they met and she told me she thought he was pretty damn full of himself. Again, Bonny most assuredly looked like my Dad.